Cato leads Marshall rally

QB drives team to two scores in fourth quarter in Military Bowl victory

Associated Press

Associated Press

Published 9:42 pm, Friday, December 27, 2013

Marshall's quarterback Rakeem Cato throws in the first half of the Military Bowl NCAA college football game against Maryland, Friday, Dec. 27, 2013 in Annapolis, Md. Marshall won 31-20. Cato was the game MVP. (AP Photo/Gail Burton) ORG XMIT: MDGB112

Rakeem Cato threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, and Marshall used two fourth-quarter scores to rally past Maryland 31-20 Friday in the Military Bowl.

The Thundering Herd (10-4) trailed 20-17 before Cato brought them back. After directing a 63-yard march to put Marshall up 24-20 with 12:05 left, Cato clinched it with an eight-yard touchdown throw to Gator Hoskins with 3:42 to play.

Cato completed 28 of 44 passes — with no interceptions — to help Marshall reach double digits in wins for the first time since 2002. The Thundering Herd came in averaging 43 points per game, but its underappreciated defense played a huge role in this one.

Maryland (7-6) scored only one touchdown after halftime, and A.J. Leggett followed Cato's final TD pass with an interception to set off a celebration among the huge gathering of Marshall fans among the crowd of 30,163.

New UAlbany football coach Greg Gattuso worked his final game as an assistant coach for Maryland.

Fresno State: Receiver Davante Adams will skip his final two seasons of college to enter the NFL draft. Adams led the nation in receptions per game (10.1), total receptions (131) and touchdown catches (24) this season. He was also second in receiving yardage (1,718).

Oregon: Longtime defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti announced that he will retire following next week's game against Texas in the Alamo Bowl. Aliotti has spent 24 years with the Ducks, including 17 as defensive coordinator. He said it was time to step away from football after 38 years in coaching, including a brief stint in the NFL with St. Louis as an assistant in the 1990s.

South Carolina: Video from a traffic stop shows star defensive end Jadeveon Clowney telling an officer he had just three minutes to make it to the stadium when he was stopped for doing almost 30 mph over the speed limit. Clowney was stopped on Interstate 26 about six miles from Williams-Brice Stadium. The Gamecocks were gathering there to travel to Florida for the Capital One Bowl against Wisconsin on Jan. 1. The officer tells Clowney he was clocked doing 84 mph in a 55 mph zone. Clowney tells him he was trying to get to the stadium before the team left. The stop is the second this month for Clowney. In early December, a S.C. Highway Patrol trooper ticketed him for going 110 mph in a 70-mph zone.

Nebraska: Defensive end Avery Moss won't play in the Gator Bowl against No. 23 Georgia for personal reasons.